All I can say is stay positive. Most of it is out of your hands. I would try the defense industry. They seem like the only ones hiring. I know a few friends and I, after getting canned from the telecom industry, moved to the defense industry and all got jobs. I can say after working here at Raytheon for 5 months, I absolutely love my job. If you want to stay in your particluar industry (whatever that is), you pretty much need someone already at the company to bypass HR, and get the resume to someone's desk. Good luck, and try to enjoy the time off.